Automatic wood-carving machine.



No. 770,839. PATENTED SEPT. 27, 190A.

F. J. WIDMAN. AUTOMATIC WOOD GARVING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.20,1903.

N0 MODEL.

,111 We 11 I o o {AM M'QQMW Patented September 27, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK WIDMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC WOOD-CARVING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 770,839, dated September 2'7, 1904.

Application filed November 20, 1903. Serial No. 181,998. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK J. VVIDMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Wood-Carving Machines, of'which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the particular mechanism employed in wood-carving machines for raising and lowering the bar or support for the cutting instruments; and the object of the invention is to provide a mechanism by which the cutting-tools will be easily and surely raised and lowered to conform to the contour of the pattern from which the carving is to be duplicated.

The invention does not in any way relate to the means employed for supporting or actuating the cutting-tools nor to the arrangement of the entire carving-machine, but relates entirely to the guiding mechanism by which these other devices are positioned.

It is well known in the art to which the present invention relates that great difficulty is sometimes experienced in raising and lowering the cutting-tools to conform to abrupt inequalities in the surface of the pattern and that great strain is sometimes brought to bear upon the machinery by reason of this fact. At the same time the quality of the finished carving is often imperfect by reason of the fact that the pattern is not closely followed, and it is to overcome these difiiculties that the device of the present invention is intended.

The invention consists of the features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The drawing shows a sectional view through the tool-supporting plate or slide with the parts which form the subject-matter of the present invention in elevation.

As shown, the mechanism is carried bya slidable frame A, by which the cutting-tools (not shown) are also supported and actuated. This frame may be slidably mounted in any usual and well-known manner within a suitable framework, as is usual in the construction of wood-carving machinery. The slidable frame has a front wall a, a rear wall a,

and a bottom a Extending through the slidable frame is a fixed shaft B, upon which is rotatably mounted a sprocket-wheel I) and a collar 6, rigidly secured to the sprocketwheel provided with teeth 6 and said wheel and collar are normally adapted to revolve loosely upon the shaft. The front wall a of the slidable frame or casing projects below the bottom (0 thereof and 'is provided at its lower end with ears 0, between which is pivoted the shank C of the tracing-finger, and said shank is provided with a chuck c. in its lower end, into which is inserted a tracingpoint 0 which point is rounded at its end and adapted to follow the contour of the pattern from which the carved design is intended to be reproduced. The shank is pivoted by a pivot 0 which enables it to rock back and forth and to be tilted by the pressure exerted upon the end of the tracing-point by the passage of the pattern thereunder, so that as the tracing-finger meets an elevation or obstruction in the pattern the shank will be tilted in one way or the other. The end of the shank is provided with a forwardly-projecting stud c, and the opposite side of the shank at a suitable distance from the end is provided with a similar stud 0 which studs serve to contact and actuate a mechanism hereinafter described. The studs are adapted to contact guidingblocks D and D, the former being contacted by the stud 0* and the latter by the stud c and the block D is provided with a-short forwardly-projecting finger (Z and the block D provided with a somewhat longer finger d, which finger is of sufiicient length to bridge over the end of the tracing-shank and adapted to contact the block D when the finger has been thrust forward. The blocks are pivoted by studs or pivots d which enables one or the other of them to be moved by the contact of the stud adapted to engage therewith. When the lower or guide end of the tracingshank is moved forward, the pivoted block D will be contacted by the stud c and swung on its pivot, and when the shank is moved back the lower end of the pivoted block D will be contacted by the stud 0 below the pivotal point and the elongated finger on the block thrust forward, which swings the block D in the same manner as though it were contacted by the stud on the end of the tracing-shank, so that in whatever direction the shank is moved the upper end of the pivoted block-D will be thrust forward.

The finger d is adapted to contact a depending block 0 on a slidable bar E, which extends from front to rear of the supporting-casing and is adapted to slide in a socket e in the front wall of the casing and in the socket e in the rear wall, and the bar E at a point hehind the shaft B is provided with a beveled cam-surface 6 which surface is adapted to contact the beveled end f of a dog F, which is pivoted by a pivot f, suitably supported by the casing, and is provided at its end with a curved engaging tooth which is adapted to engage the teeth 6 on the collar which operates with the sprocket-wheel above referred to. When, however, the curved tooth on the dog is raised, the collar and sprocket-wheel will be allowed to-revolve freely, and when the barE is retracted the tooth will throw the end of the dog up out of the way. The bar E is provided on its rear end with a projected shank Gr, surrounded by a coil-spring g,the tension upon which can be regulated by a slidable head 9 on the end of the shank, which can be adjusted by means of a stud screw g and locked by a lock-nut g in adjusted position, and the inner end of the spring is adapted to bear against a collar g, which passes against the outer face of the rear wall of the supporting casing, by which arrangement the shank and bar will be normally retracted by the action of the spring; but the bar may be advanced against the tension of the spring when so desired. In front of the supporting-casing is arranged an endless chain H, which is adapted to be moved by upper and lower sprocketwheels H, mounted upon shafts l2, and said wheels are intended to continuously revolve at a slow rate of speed to upwardly move the chain adjacent to the mechanism heretofore described,- and said chain is adapted to continuously mesh with the teeth of the sprocketwheel I) Within the supporting-case, so that said wheel and the toothed collar attached thereto will be continuously revolved at a slow rate of speed upon the shaft B.

Behind the section of chain above referred to is a guard it, which prevents the chain from being inwardly sagged by pressure brought to bear thereon and serves to hold the chain into continuous engagement with the teeth of the sprocket-wheel Z).

The shafts it, by which the wheel-carrying chains are rotated, and the chain-guard may be supported in. any suitable and well-known manner to any convenient portion of the carving-machine, and the method of supporting said elements form no portion of the present invention.

The operation of the device will be partially understood from the foregoing description, but may be briefly stated as follows: The pattern or model from which the carving is to be made, and which, of course, will be full of projections and irregularities, is moved slowly under the tracing point, and as the point meets an irregularity or projection in the surface of the pattern it will be swung back or forward on its pivot, thereby either directly or indirectly pressing forward the finger d on the pivoted block D, which finger will contact the depending block on the slidable bar and move said bar forward against the tension of the spring on the bar, and said movement will cause the beveled cam-surface on the bar to contact the beveled end of the pivoted dog and depress the forward end thereof sufficiently to engage the toothed collar connected with the sprocket wheel. The sprocketwheel and collar during this time will be continuously revolved by the engagement of the teeth on the sprocket-wheel with the links of the endless chain; but since the sprocketwheel and collar are loosely mounted upon the shaft they will normally be free to revolve as the chain is moved. When, however, the curved tooth of the dog has been brought into engagement with the toothed collar, which is rigidly secured to the sprocket-wheel, the revolution of the sprocket wheel will be arrested and the entire casing and parts carried thereby and the cutting-tools will be raised by the engagement of the sprocketwheel and the chain until the tracing-point is raised sufiiciently to relieve it from the lateral pressure caused by the obstruction or elevation in the pattern, at which point the pressure will be relieved from the sliding bar and the spring on the shank will retract the bar and carry the cam-faces of the bar and dog out of contact with one another, allowing the curved tooth of the dog to be thrown up out of engagement with the toothed collar and once more allow the revolution of the collar and ratchet-wheel. If it is desired to raise the casing-frame carrying the cutting-tools without using a pattern at all, this result may be efiected by pressure exerted on the end of the shank which projects from the rear of the supporting-easing.

It will be seen'that the device of the present invention is simple in operation and that'practically all of the strain brought upon the apparatus will be exerted on the chain and sprocket-wheel, which are elements of sufficient strength to withstand it.

Although the invention has been described with considerable particularity, it is evident that the shaft arrangement of the various parts may be considerably varied without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I regard as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In alifting device for carving machinery, the combination of a frame slidably mounted, a revolubly-mounted sprocket-wheel carried by the frame, a movable chain meshing with the sprocket-wheel, a tooth rigidly secured to the sprocket-wheel, a dog carried by the slidable frame and adapted to engage said tooth, a movable tracer carried by the slidable frame, and means for actuating the dog by the movement of the tracer to cause the dog to engage the tooth on the sprocket-wheel and prevent rotation, causing the frame to be raised by the meshing of the sprocket-wheel and the chain, substantially as described.

2. In a lifting device for use in carving machinery, the combination of a frame slidably mounted, a rotatably-mountedsprocket-wheel carried by the frame, a movable chain meshing with the sprocket-wheel, a tooth rigidly secured to the sprocket-wheel, a dog engaging said tooth for preventing the rotation thereof, and a tracer pivotally mounted and adapted to be moved by the passage of a pattern thereunder, and means for actuating the dog by the movement of the tracer to cause the dog to engage the tooth and raise the frame by the engagement of the sprocket-wheel with the movable chain, substantially as described.

3. In a lifting device for use in carving ma: chinery, the combination of a frame slidably mounted, arotatably-mounted sprocket-wheel carried by the frame, a movable chain meshing with the sprocket-Wheel, a tooth rigidly secured to the sprocket-wheel, a dog adapted to engage said tooth for preventing the rotation of the sprocket-wheel, a tracer pivotally mounted and provided with an upwardly-extending shank, and a slidable bar actuated by the movement of the shank and formed to move the dog to engage with the tooth thereby preventing rotation of the sprocket-wheel and causing the slidable frame to be raised by the engagement of the sprocket-wheel with the movable chain, substantially as described.

4:. In a lifting device for use in carving machinery, the combination of a frame slidably mounted, a rotatably-mounted sprocket-wheel carried by the frame, a movable chain meshing with the sprocket-wheel, .a tooth rigidly secured to the sprocket-Wheel, a dog adapted to engage therewith for preventing the rotation thereof, a tracer pivotally mounted and provided with an upwardly-extending shank, a pivoted block adapted to be moved by the movement of the shank, and a slidable bar movable by the pivoted block and mounted to actuate the dog to arrest the motion of the sprocket-wheel, substantially as described.

5. In a lifting device for use in carving machinery, the combination of a frame slidably mounted, a rotatably-m ounted sprocket-wheel carried by the frame, a movable chain meshing with the sprocket-wheel, a tooth rigidly sprocket-wheel for arresting the motion thereof, substantially as described.

6. In a lifting device for use in carving machinery, the combination of a frame slidably mounted, a rotatably-mounted sprocket-wheel carried by the frame, a movable chain meshing with the sprocket-wheel, a tooth rigidly secured to the sprocket-wheel, a dog adapted to engage said tooth for preventing the rotation thereof, a tracer pivotally mounted and provided with an upwardly-extending shank, two pivoted blocks on opposite sides of the shank, one of the blocks being provided with a finger adapted to engage the other block for imparting movement thereto, a slidable bar adapted to be engaged by the last-mentioned pivoted block and having a cam-surface adapted to contact the rear end of the dog and move the same to engage the tooth and arrest the motion of the sprocketwheel, and a spring adapted to retract the slidable bar when the same is released from pressure, substantially as described.

7 In a lifting device for use in carving machinery, the combination of a frame slidably mounted, a rOtatably-mounted sprocket-wheel carried by the frame, a shaft upon which the wheel is mounted, a pivoted tracer adapted to have its end moved by contact with inequalities in the surface of a moving pattern, a movable chain meshing with the sprocket-wheel, and means actuated by the movement of the end of the tracer for arresting the rotation of the sprocket-wheel to cause the frame to be elevated by the engagement of the teeth of the immovable sprocket-wheel with the movable chain, substantially as described.

8. In a lifting device for use in carving machinery, the combination of a frame slidably mounted a rotatably-mounted s procket-wheel carried by the frame, a shaft upon which the wheel is mounted, a movable tracer mounted to have its end moved by contact with inequalities in the surface of a moving pattern, a movable chain meshing with the sprocket-wheel, and means actuated by-the movement of the end of the tracer for arresting the rotation of the sprocket-wheel to cause the frame to be elevated by the engagement of the teeth of the immovable sprocket-wheel with the movable chain, substantially as described.

9. In a lifting device for carving machinery, resting the motion of the sprocket-Wheel to the combination of a frame slidably mounted, raise the frame; substantially as described. a revolubly-mounted sprocket-wheel carried by the frame, a movable chain meshing with FRANK WIDMAN' 5 the sprocket-Wheel, a tracer actuated by con- Witnesses:

tact with a moving pattern, and means actu- SAMUEL W. BANNING,

ated by the movement of the tracer for ar- OSCAR W. BOND. 

